When I learned of the arrest of journalist Don Lemon this morning, a few things ran through my head, one being the interview I did with him back in 2024 on his faith.
I still remember our conversation like it was yesterday and one thing that stands out in my mind is how much he spoke about his love for Jesus. The people who are behind his arrest also claim to love Jesus, but they really want to maintain power and force assimilation to their way of living and culture.
Maina Mwaura
That’s nothing new for this group, but now they have a king who will carry out their wishes, even it means going against the freedom of speech that they claim to love so much. Although I don’t agree with disturbing a church service, he wasn’t there as an agitator but as a journalist, and there is a difference.
I’ve covered protests in the past, and I know how important it is to have eyes and ears on the ground. That is the job of a journalist.
However, when Lemon interviewed the pastor of Cities Church, Jonathan Parnell, I knew then what would come next. What’s interesting to me is that Parnell is one of the pastors who works two jobs — one at his church and one fully funded by the Southern Baptist Convention North American Mission Board.
Parnell immediately tried to move the conversation away from the fact an elder in his church is a field director for ICE to claim it’s all about Jesus. That’s basically a NAMB talking point.
Never mind in the days leading up to this protest, ICE officers had killed one innocent citizen protester and within days would kill another. It’s hard to claim that’s all about Jesus.
NAMB President Kevin Ezell said he would stand up for churches under attack but he hasn’t said he would stand up for citizens protesting ICE’s campaign of terror. Just a few years ago, Ezell and other evangelical leaders championed immigration reform, but now they’re silent.
“Trump’s Justice Department has yet to arrest anyone for the murders of Renee Good or Alex Pretti, but they’ve found time to arrest four Black journalists.”
And by the way, Trump’s Justice Department has yet to arrest anyone for the murders of Renee Good or Alex Pretti, but they’ve found time to arrest four Black journalists.
This should be a wakeup call to anyone who values freedom of speech and unfettered journalism.
I know firsthand, from when I interviewed Donald Trump in 2020, that if he doesn’t like something the press says about him, he will send his bullies after you. I lived it. Going after the press and calling for their jobs and even locking them up has been on his agenda for a long time.
With the arrest of Don Lemon, we are entering a new era.
Before I became a journalist, I served as a missions pastor. One trip that stands out to me, was to Cuba. I remember the pastor of the church we were sponsoring whispering to me that when dictator Fidel Castro rose to power the one group that he went for first was the journalists. He had journalists arrested.
Trump’s playbook is no different than other dictators. Don Lemon is just a litmus test. And it’s a test we must repudiate.
Modern journalists are the eyewitnesses to our times. We are prophets called to tell the truth as we see it and to cover protests, even ones we wouldn’t normally be a part of. That’s what Lemon was doing that day in the middle of Cities Church: He was being an eyewitness to the protest.
When I interviewed Lemon that day, as our time ran out, we prayed together. I prayed God would give him the protection he needs. And now more than ever, I pray God protects him from the Trump regime.
Maina Mwaura is a freelance writer based in Kennesaw, Ga. He is a graduate of Liberty University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.